Victorian Out West

Prairie Shannon

A young Irishwoman flees her homeland to escape cruelty, crossing an ocean to do it. After landing in America, she fears she is followed. Who is the bearded man? What does he know? She dreads he may force her back to abuse.

In widow’s garb with her youngster in hand, she treks further west over wilderness, with consequent deprivations. Though traversing all the way to Wyoming Territories, she doesn’t evade the stranger who follows. Her hopes of freedom are shadowed.

Despite being haunted by her past, the young mother finds honest work and safely settles into her new life on the western frontier. She forges a new life, but what of love? Will full happiness finally be hers?

Abiding by her beliefs, she denies herself the proffered love of the best of men. Because of her convictions theirs is a love divided. Never allowing his charity, she indulges only in their correspondence. She accepts her lonely fate, letting time tell of anything more than shared letters and a distant love unanswered.

Story Inspiration:

Prairie Shannon was inspired by a true Irish love story I was told decades ago. The basic idea stuck with me all these years, and I always knew I would have to write the spirit of that romantic story and it’s enduring principles into something of my own making. I hope I honored the angels who inspired this story, and that they would approve my effort to share what made their love story so memorable to me all this time.

“Prairie Shannon” is available in paperback and Kindle editions on Amazon: